Indigenous UAV Rustom-2 is expected to complete user trials by August 2023.
About Rustom-2
It has been designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru with production partners being Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and Bharat Electronics Limited.
Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) refers to an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that flies at an altitude window of 10,000 to 30,000 feet for extended durations of time, typically 24 to 48 hours.
It is also known as Tapas-BH (Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance-Beyond Horizon 201).
The UAV is actually named after Rustom Damania, a former professor at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
Features
It is being developed to carry out surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles and is capable of carrying different combinations of advanced payload and capable of auto-landing among others.
It is being designed to acquire real-time, high-quality pictures and signal intelligence from fields of concern at medium to long ranges.
It technologically matches contemporary UAVs available and will also be cheaper than the imported ones.
Significance
High endurance UAVs are a priority requirement for the armed forces especially in the standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh.
The armed forces rely heavily on the Israeli Searcher and Heron drones and need more such UAVs.
